Chronicles of Narnia Reading Challenge 2011 Conclusion

I'm genuinely sad it's over. All this month I was thinking to myself, "Why do I spend so much time reading books that fail to move me HALF as much as these do!?" I almost feel like I'm wasting reading time. I know I'm not, but I'm tempted to believe so all the same.

I've loved my trek back in to Narnia and I'll keep hosting this year after year because I need the "permission", if you will, to spend a month just resting here - and learning.

I hope you've had some fun, quality time in Narnia yourself. As always, I want to go and check in on everyone's thoughts. So, if you've posted about Narnia, please leave a link in the comment section below. Leave links to all of your posts so that we don't miss anything!

Here's the deal: I'm going to take a summer blogging break which will last all of next week (August 1 - 7) and when I "come back" I'll have a detailed post with all of your links in it to make it easy for you to peruse and hop around to see what others had to say this month.

So, leave links, enjoy the first week of August (the beginning of the end of summer?!) and I'll see ya back here soon!

Prince Caspian :: Read Aloud Thursday

Time for another Read Aloud Thursday over at Hope is in the Word. We're still in Narnia so we'll be talking about that.

After we finished reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (which I shared about previously) Bookworm1 expressed an interest in reading more of Narnia. I had allowed him to watch the (new) movie version of The L,W,W after we finished reading the book and, with the exception of the scene in which the White Witch kills Aslan, he loved it. (We skipped that part because of the gruesomeness of the creatures in the White Witch's company!) He knows that there are two more movies - one of which involves a sea dragon. He wanted to read Voyage next but I think that particular movie version is far too intense and scary for him at this time. (Plus, I still think that the new version of Voyage is pretty much Narnia heresy in the extreme.) So, I told him I'd read Prince Caspian with him and he could watch that movie. We've since done both.

Reading Prince Caspian with Bookworm1 was different than my experience reading The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe with him - but I suppose that's to be expected. The time line of the story rather confused him and he had to work a new set of kings out in his mind. However, the inclusion of mythological creatures, good guys vs. bad and some specific talk about turning to Aslan in times of trouble still held his interest.

This time my son was far more interested in the battles between the Narnians and the Telmarines. He paid far more attention to King Miraz's battle against High King Peter than I expected he would. Since reading this book (and subsequently watching the movie) our house has become more of a battle ground. He even started wearing his cape that I made him two years ago and is talking about bravery, heroes and defending us all against the bad guys. His imagination is engaged and this makes me immeasurably happy. I have a clear example now of how you can fill a boy's mind with noble stories and inspire him to nobility himself. I love being able to pour Narnia into him and watch what seeps out. And I know it will keep coming out (because I'll keep pouring it in!)

As for myself, there were a great many moments in Prince Caspian that stood out as particularly meaningful to me. If I have to narrow it down to only one, I'll talk about Lucy's reaction to the group when she told them that she had seen Aslan and that he had bid them to come and follow him to Aslan's How and Caspian's army. Trumpkin didn't believe Lucy had actually seen a lion. Peter wanted to trust his own instincts. Edmund said he'd soon as follow her as not, as she had always told the truth before. Susan wanted to believe Lucy, but chose not to. Nevertheless, they eventually gave in and followed after her. Lewis writes this of their journey following Aslan:

"And so at last they got on the move. Lucy went first, biting her lip and trying not to say all the things she thought of saying to Susan. But she forgot them when she fixed her eyes on Aslan." (Chapter 11, The Lion Roars, page 143)

Raise your hand if you've ever felt confident that God was leading you to do something that was distinctly unpopular? Ever felt like you've received a clear path forward but people are just not getting with the program? And do you ever get wrapped up in your own personal defense to the point of causing further confusion because you felt the need to justify what you firmly believe to be right? I believe this is exactly how Lucy felt and I've certainly felt that way myself. Learning to hold one's tongue is a hard business but I love how Lewis pointed out that as long as Lucy stayed focused on Aslan, and moved her feet forward in the direction he led her, she forgot all the things she wanted to say and simply did what she knew needed doing. She quit wasting daylight. She just moved forward. I would say that this is a timely reminder for me but it's more like the reminder that I need every day!

My job in life isn't to follow after the whims, fancies or opinions of others. Nor is it my duty and calling to defend my own actions to everyone around me when I have been impressed by the fact that God is calling me in a particular direction. I could sit around and try to provide detailed explanations but it isn't exactly necessary or healthy. Frequently it just distracts me from what I should be doing. In some ways, it's a waste of daylight.

I think it is perfectly fine to explain to people, "God is leading me here." But when they all start debating something I know to be true and distracting me by requiring that I recount the past or explain what may or may not be the future then I need to stop talking, focus my eyes on God, and start walking in His direction! Then I will find peace and will know it - because He has led me to it! (I'm not discounting situations where you are approaching a spiritual authority saying, "I believe God is calling me to ______." In such moments I think if the authority is in any way smart, they'll question your heart, motives and words for the purpose of helping you to determine whether or not you've received a firm call from God in some area of your life. We shouldn't fight their line of questioning. If we are in any way smart, we'll welcome their questions and provide honest answers. I'm just saying that we don't need to open ourselves up to the questioning of the masses and those who do not have any authority over us, truly speaking.)

It's a hard lesson. We all want to be liked and understood. It's hard to walk with people who grumble about the plan of action and question you at each and every turn. It's exhausting. So again, we are reminded to keep our eyes on the Leader of the Pack and then our doubts, worries, concerns and need for self-justification will be erased. That's the best place to be: locked in footstep with Aslan.

There's truly no where else I'd rather be!

What I Learned in Narnia: Confessing Sin

Carrie's notes taken while listening to the audio lecture series What I Learned in Narnia by Doug Wilson which is available through Canon Press. (You can enter to win the book by the same title by leaving a comment on last week's post.)

Today's post, as well as yesterday's, is a bit different than what you'll normally see around here. Basically I'm sharing the notes I made while listening to Wilson's lectures and you can tell. The format is different but I still find the notes worth posting. Glean what you will.

The topic of confessing sin comes up in every single Narnia book.

Learning how to say you’re sorry is one of the most important lessons that you could possibly learn in your life and it’s basically a question of learning how to be genuinely honest - how to be an honest person.” Doug Wilson

The good guys in Narnia are genuinely honest and the bad guys are fundamentally dishonest.

In this lecture, Wilson discusses real honesty, phony honesty and The Temptation to Confess the Sins of Others.

He cites the following examples of confessions in The Chronicles of Narnia:

Magician’s Nephew – Digory and Polly go into Charn and go into the immense hall and Digory awakens Jadis by ringing a bell. Polly did not want to ring it and tries to stop him. Aslan confronts Digory about this later on. Digory mentioned that he and Polly “met the witch” and that “she woke up.”

“You met the witch?” Aslan growled. “I mean, I woke her.” Digory admits.

He wanted to tell Aslan the story leaving his sin and folly out of it but Aslan does not permit this. Aslan does not demand perfection, but he does demand honesty about our imperfections.

Aslan also confronts Polly asking if she has forgiven Digory (after an admission/confession of his fault to Polly) for preventing her from stopping the ringing of the bell. Forgiveness also needed to be extended. But first sins had to be confessed.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – Edmund doesn’t tell Peter and Susan the truth about having entered the wardrobe. “I was just pretending” he tells them when they press him for an answer. The Professor tells Peter and Susan that they have three options – to believe that Lucy is crazy, to believe she is telling a lie or to believe she is telling the truth. C.S. Lewis also argued that you would have to make the same decision about Jesus Christ being the son of God – either He is lying, crazy or He is telling the truth. But you cannot just settle on the idea that Jesus is “good” unless you believe His claims.

Upon entering into Narnia Peter apologies to Lucy for not believing her. He confessed his sin, and she forgave him. Again forgiveness follows confession.

The Horse and His Boy – Shasta and Aravis are racing to the hermit’s enclosure and Aslan is chasing them to make them go faster. Aslan chases Aravis and swipes at her back with his claws, cutting her back. Shasta leaps off of his talking horse, Bree, and turns to confront the lion.

Shasta's bravery humiliates Bree, who talks over the matter with Aravis. Aravis points out to Bree that it is better to stay in safety with the hermit and apologize than to go back and be slaves. Bree was having a pity party because Shasta had out-shown him in bravery. Bree began acting as if he were sorry but in truth he was acting proud. The hermit told Bree that he needed to stop being conceited (and needed to truly repent.)

Prince Caspian – Aslan appears to Lucy alone to give her directions for the group to follow. Lucy tries to share Aslan's directions with the others but instead goes along with the crowd - in the wrong direction and under the leadership of Peter. Aslan then later appears to the whole group through Lucy.

Susan apologies to Lucy for not believing and confesses that in her heart she had believed Lucy but chose not to be obedient.

Peter confesses immediately: “I’ve been leading them wrong.” Aslan forgives him instantly.

When you blame someone else in Narnia, Aslan growls at you. But when you simply confess your sin like Peter does, Aslan responds, “My dear son.” He accepts the apology. There is no problem when honesty is involved.

Voyage of the Dawn Treader – Caspian wants to abdicate and go to the end of the world. Everyone tells him that he cannot do that. Caspians knows that they are right but loses his temper anyway.

Aslan appears to Caspian in his cabin to address him. Caspian confesses, “I might as well have behaved decently” for all the good that his lack of temper did for him.

The Silver Chair – Eustace and Jill get away from the Experiment House and find themselves in Narnia. They are on the edge of a huge precipice but Jill is showing off and showing contempt. Eustace tries to keep her from falling off but falls off himself.

Jill's response is to say “Well, don’t blame me! It's not my fault he fell off the cliff.” But then Aslan addresses her, asking her how Eustace fell off the cliff. She admits that she was showing off. “That is a very good answer.” He accepts her response as truth and tells her not to do that anymore.

The Last Battle – Puzzle sees Tash go by and sees how wicked Tash is. “I see now,” said Puzzle, “that I really have been a very bad donkey.” It becomes clear to him that he should have stood up to Shift. Clear acknowledgment of sins.

Examples of Bad Apologies:

The Magician's Nephew - Before confessing honestly to waking up the witch, Digory asks Jill for help to help him with the witch who is loose in London. She refuses to help until he apologizes for his actions.

“Sorry!,” exclaimed Digory, “Well, now, isn’t that just like a girl! What have I done!?”

This is the way our minds work. We don’t like taking blame. Aslan though demands honesty -- as painful as it may be.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe - Edmund first stumbles into Narnia but does not immediately see Lucy. He calls out to her saying, “I’m sorry I didn’t believe you.” “I see now you were right all along.” But Lucy doesn’t hear him because she is with Mr. Tumnus. When she doesn’t respond to his apology right away he, without knowledge of where she is, says “isn’t that just like a girl.”

This demonstrates that Edmund was interested in saying the right words but when he doesn’t get the automatic and specific response that he is after, his apology because imperfect and selfish. It isn’t real. Not then. Not at that time. He was not confessing honestly.

Example of Confessing the Sins of Others:

Prince Caspian - Lucy is telling Aslan that the others did not believe her when she told them she had seen the Lion and received direction from him. Aslan lets forth a sound of a growl. “But she –“ “But he –“ receives the response of a growl. Aslan insists that we deal with our own sins and not try to pin our lack of correct behavior on the decisions, behaviors or beliefs of others. We will be held accountable for our own obedience or disobedience.

When we read through these books we should make note of the character qualities that we read of and say things like, “I want to be Peter here.”

Read. Discern. Learn.

What I Learned in Narnia: Authority

Carrie's notes taken while listening to the audio lecture series What I Learned in Narnia by Doug Wilson which is available through Canon Press. (You can enter to win the book by the same title by leaving a comment on last week's post.)

Today's post, as well as tomorrow's, is a bit different than what you'll normally see around here. Basically I'm sharing the notes I made while listening to Wilson's lectures and you can tell. The format is different but I still find the notes worth posting. Glean what you will.

It should be noted that these are topical talks, so there is no specific order in which you would need to read the Narnia books in order to follow along. Wilson suggests reading the books in chronological order to help you understand the history and progression of Narnia as he says it will help you put a lot of things together.

Wilson is very clear to point out that Lewis was adamant that these books were not an allegory. Rather, they were "a great supposal." “Suppose that….” Aslan occupies the Christ position in these books and it is important for us to see the heart of true authority in these books.

Wilson's agenda, if you will, in giving this series of lectures is to give “a small taste of things that you can be learning from [The Chronicles of Narnia].”

In his first lecture on the topic of authority Wilson talks about using authority the wrong way, using it the right way and submitting to authority in the right way.

He starts by talking about using authority the wrong way, giving examples of characters and situations in the book to illustrate his points.

• Miraz (Prince Caspian) is a usurper. He kills to take the throne and exercise false authority. The book reads, “When he first began to rule, he did not even pretend to be king. He called himself the Lord Protector.”
• The Scrubbs also present a picture of denial of true authority. (Voyage of the Dawn Treader) Eustace calls his father and mother by their first names, refusing to acknowledge parental authority. This is a picture of egalitarianism, saying that everyone should be the same. It is a rejection of authority.
• The false of authority of the magician (Jadis & Uncle Andrew in The Magician's Nephew) They both believe that they are “above the rules.” Rules are for commoners and they feel as if they are more important than others and they do not want anyone telling them what to do.
• Ahoshta Tarkaan (The Horse and His Boy) - wields authority from groveling and manipulating – playing the system. His is authority gained though flattery which is a false authority.
• Shift (The Last Battle) – Manipulates to get his way through lies. He plays on the emotions of others to get his way (i.e., moping, acting deeply offended, etc.) Shift turns the golden rule around. He says, “Why don’t you treat me as I treat you?” What he really means is, “Why don’t you treat me the way the way that I say I treat you, but I don’t really.”
• The Dwarfs (The Last Battle) – “The dwarfs are for the dwarfs!” What they are saying is that they do not acknowledge any authority over themselves at all.

“You should never trust people who have strong views of authority when they are talking about people under them, but have very weak views of authority when they are talking about people over them. Whenever you encounter someone like that, you need to run.” – Wilson

All of the characters listed above are about grabbing, getting and taking. No one has to teach these behaviors to us. Sinful humanity latches on to these attitudes. They are part of the sin nature which we are born with. (Ps. 51:5) Jesus came to deal with these things.

Of course, Aslan sets the example or pattern for true authority in these stories. The heart of all true authority is through sacrificing and giving. The Bible teaches that if you grab for authority, you lose. If you give yourself, you gain authority. The person who sacrifices gains respect and admiration and positions of authority. When people demand authority, it will run away from them. Miraz? He grabs, he loses. Jadis? Finally defeated.

An example that Wilson gives from scripture is of Abraham and Lot. (Genesis Chapters 13 & 14) Abraham gives Lot a choice in the land. Lot chooses greedily and it turns out that his choice is eventually destroyed because of the sin of the people. Lot got his choice in the short term but it was not a wise choice and his family was eventually destroyed.

Is Aslan, the true and right authority a safe character? No. As Mr. Beaver says, “Of course he isn’t safe! But he is good.” He loves. He sacrifices. Aslan’s goodness is unsettling and scary which cause people to react negatively to his authority. They do not understand his ways. His servants, however, following in his footsteps, are humble. When Aslan asks Caspian if he is ready to rule, Caspian says he is not. Which is exactly how Caspian should feel. "When you know you are not ready, you are ready." Frank the Cabbie (The Magician’s Nephew) is also asked if he is willing to serve in Narnia. Frank doesn’t feel confident. Aslan breathes the confidence and assurance in him, building humility.

An excellent point on being in authority:

When you are in authority – you are the first in every attack and the last in every retreat. A king puts himself out front to “take the fall” or lead the army in battle. This is what it means to be a pastor, a father, an elder, a husband. It means stepping up to the plate and taking responsibility and overseeing the people and situations that God has given to you to govern. It is a great responsibility and requires sacrifice and humility.

Wilson concludes his lecture by talking about how we are to rightly submit to authority. For the sake of length I'll only discuss his discussion of Trumpkin the Dwarf (in Prince Caspian).

Wilson points out that Trumpkin doesn’t believe in Aslan but he believes in and will fight for the Narnia. Dr. Cornelius brings the Narnians Susan’s old horn to summon help. Trumpkin doesn’t believe the horn is of any value or will bring the Narnian army any help. He gives his input and then submits to the authority of Caspian.

“I know the difference between giving advice and taking orders. You’ve had my advice and now is the time for taking orders.” ~ Trumpkin

Humility. Honor. Submission.

Definitely a thought-provoking lecture and an eye-opening one as well.

Hope for Your Heart, by June Hunt

Yesterday I talked about Narnia and hope. After writing up that post I finally got around to reading Hope for Your Heart: Finding Strength in Life's Storms which had been sitting on my shelf a little longer than I meant it to. I wasn't really sure what to expect of it so I can safely say it met all my expectations and then some. Mostly though, I walked away thinking that this book makes an excellent resource for the person looking for a bit of hope in life. And as humans we know that we cannot survive without hope. Yet sometimes we're threatened with the loss of it when our foundations are shaken and all of our knows suddenly become unknowns.

Hope for Your Heart takes a good look at the subject of hope. Primarily this is written to Christians, explaining what Christian hope is and how sure its availability is to us. However, she does also address the non-Christian reader, offering the hope that can only be found in Christ. So what is hope? (When you think about it, this is kind of a tricky subject matter to discuss.) I'll be quoting the book directly in order to best describe the read and its application to life. This is the list Hunt gives explaining what Christian hope is:

• not dependent on another person or a group of people, but rather it is dependent on the Lord alone.
• not wishful thinking, vague longing, or trying to fulfill a dream, but rather is assured, unchangeable and absolute.
• not determined by circumstances, events, or abilities, but rather is based on what is secured and promised.
• not merely a desire, but rather the delayed fulfillment of reality.
• not relying on the stars, luck, chance, or timing, but rather is predestined and settled in the heart and mind of God.
• not hoping your good will outweigh your bad to get you to heaven, but rather is the certainty of God that you will go to Heaven.

(Chapter 1, The Ultimate Life Preserver, page 27)

It is a sure thing that you will experience grief and difficulties in life. Christian or no, life on the planet earth is not perfect and you will have to face a trial or two. As a Christian we understand that God does not preserve us from trials, but rather He promises to walk through them with us. He promises to sustain us during stressful times with friends and family, false accusations, the loss of a job, financial difficulties and even death. He will not leave us or forsake us (Heb. 13:5), so we know that we can hope in our future that is secure in Him.

As Hunt explains, we seem to have developed this expectation (perhaps as Americans?) that we are entitled to a stress-free existence. She writes:

"An attitude of entitlement misleads many into thinking that hope in God always results in relief from trials when it more often gives us courage to endure trials. As much as we resist the idea, it's not always in our best interest to anesthetize our pain or avoid trials." (Page 79)

You might have heard of the "health and wealth" movement in Christianity which promotes and assumes the idea that God desires to give you "nothin' but the best" in life. While I would agree with the statement that God only has the best in mind for you, I would also argue that His best might not look the same as the best you have in mind for yourself. He doesn't mean for us all to live in mansions, be able to eat and afford organic foods, dress in the lastest style and fashion, drive fancy vehicles and always, always, always be in perfect health! In scriptures we read of Paul who was experiencing some sort of trial or physical ailment (no one knows exactly what it was and I think there's a reason it wasn't spelled out for us) that he continually prayed for God to remove from his life but that God chose to train Paul to trust in Him further. See 2 Corinthians 7:10-12 God's power is made perfect in our weaknesses. (Read 2 Corinthians 4 for additional encouragement in this vein.) Instead of avoiding the weakness or pretending and vowing that it doesn't exist, it is much better to glorify God in it, thanking Him for working in our lives in a faithful and loving way.

Jesus taught us to pray that things would not happen as we would will them to, but as God would will them to. (Matthew 6:9-13) This doesn't also mean that we are bound to keep our negative emotions out of our prayers. God can handle us and our wildly swinging emotions. He is fully capable of dealing with the truth of our feelings on any given subject matter and it is good to "tell it like it is" when praying to God. He works very well with truth. Are you angry about your present situation and circumstances? Tell God so. Ask for His help in dealing with these negative thoughts and attitudes. Hunt encourages this by writing:

"If you want to discover the true power of prayer and the true depth of God's love for you, stop telling Him only what you think He wants to hear. You can't shock Him or disappoint Him. Speak the truth to Him . . ." (page 145)

Not only can He handle the truth of your thoughts and feelings, He can walk you through them. Try Him. Test and see if He is good.

Probably a good thing for you to keep in mind when facing stressful situations or circumstances is that all of these bad and negative moments will also pass. Weeping may and will and does endure for a night (sometimes many, many nights!) but joy will come.

"Don't focus on your circumstances. Why focus on God, not on our circumstances? Because circumstances ebb and flow - they are always changing, unpredictable, and undependable. But in the middle of those circumstances is a Rock - our immovable, unshakable, and invincible God." (page 204)

Our circumstances change, but God does not. (Hebrews 13:8) He is the same always. He was the same yesterday as He will be tomorrow, as He always has been and always will be. That makes Him dependable. You can cry all your tears, beat the walls, pound the floors, yell out your frustrations to Him and He can handle it all with firm, supportive consistency. He is big enough to handle your problems. He can do it. And in Him we find our hope.

Those who have put their trust in Him also have the assurance of Heaven. A final - and eternal - hope that at the end of this painful road we call "life" we will enter into peace and worship in His presence. There is no greater hope! For a little while we will walk difficult paths - but the end is peace. Hunt quoted from The Chronicles of Narnia and, being that we at the end of the Chronicles of Narnia Reading Challenge, I thought it fitting to share this passage which Hunt quotes in Hope for Your Heart. This passage is from The Last Battle and we'll end things here as Aslan is speaking to Lucy and others:

Speaking to the children, he said, "You do not yet look so happy as I mean you to be."
Lucy said, "We're so afraid of being sent away, Aslan. And you have sent us back into our own world so often."
"No fear of that," said Aslan. "Have you not guessed?"
Their hearts leaped and a wild hope rose within them.
"There was a real railway accident," said Aslan softly. "Your father and mother and all of you are - as you used to call it in the Shadowlands - dead. The term is over; the holidays have begun.* The dream has ended; this is morning.
And as he spoke he no longer looked to them like a lion; but the things that began to happen after that were so great and beautiful that I cannot write them. And for us this is the end of all stories, and we can most truly say that they all lived happily ever after. But for them it was only the beginning of the real story.
All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story, which no one on earth had read, which goes on forever, in which every chapter is better than the one before."

The best, in Christ Jesus, is always yet to come. So we press onward (Philippians 3:14) with hope, being sure of Him when nothing else looks quite so certain. He is. And that is what breeds hope.

Thank you, Crossway Books, for providing a copy of this book for me to read. Excellent resource!

Narnia and Hope

Reading Narnia effects my emotions. All good books should do that, of course, in some form or fashion. (That's another good argument for choosing your reads carefully.) Narnia particularly does it to me. Each read through strikes me in new and different ways. The way that C.S. Lewis wove truth in and out of his stories is brilliantly amazing and it catches me off guard time and time again.

As I mentioned, I read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe to Bookworm1 (age 4 1/2) this past month for the first time. It was a bit difficult reading it outloud because I would find myself so moved by any particular passage that I would have to stop reading and get my emotions in check before I could proceed through the story. He was wondering what was up with mommy! Lewis manages to draw it out of me and I fought back tears the entire read. I already shared one moment that had me all choked up, but I thought I'd share another.

Lucy and Susan have just witnessed the killing of Aslan and are trying to untie him but are unable to do so.

"I hope no one who reads this book has been quite as miserable as Susan and Lucy were that night; but if you have been - if you've been up all night and cried till you have no more tears left in you - you will know that there comes in the end a sort of quietness. You feel as if nothing was ever going to happen again. At any rate, that was how it felt to these two. Hours and hours seemed to go by in this dead calm, and they hardly noticed that they were getting colder and colder. But at last Lucy noticed two other things. One was that the sky on the East side of the hill was a little less dark than it had been an hour ago. The other was some tiny movement going on in the grass at her feet. At first she took no interest in this. What did it matter? Nothing mattered now! But at last she saw that whatever-it-was had begun to move up the upright stones of the Stone Table. And now whatever-they-were were moving about on Aslan's body." (Chapter 15, Deeper Magic from Before the Dawn of Time)

Of course, Lucy sees the mice who have come to nibble and gnaw Aslan out of his bonds before the Stone Table cracks and the girl's see Aslan ALIVE again.

Lucy and Susan feel the depths of despair. They feel anguish, loss, loneliness. All hope feels eternally gone. But whether or not they notice at first, or even like it, change begins. The sun rises. Then they notice that good things are happening again. At first, they think that the little change and movement is bad. Birds start singing again. Life is renewed and restored. Life is breathed into everything once again because Aslan is still alive.

For anyone who has felt the searing pain of loss, you will understand and know these feelings. I relate this to the death of Jonathan's mother and then my dad and then his brother - all within quick succession of one another. We well know those tears that disappear into resigned silence. We understand the feeling that says "nothing can ever happen again" - or, at least, you hope it doesn't. You know that nothing can ever be the same again. It is miserable.

Then, whether you think you are ready for it or not, you recognize small signs of change. You might not welcome the movement at first, but it happens with or without your consent. Things go on. The sun comes up and starts to shine. The birds start singing. You acknowledge God is good all of the time and that He makes no mistakes in His perfect sovereignty. You find reasons to rejoice again - enthusiastically and with a full heart. New life is born. New songs are written. Beauty takes over. God makes all things new.



My son will know all of these things for himself one day. He will know heartache - I cannot prevent it for him. I wouldn't want to. Because when things become new and you begin to see God's good plan, you cannot help but thank Him for the pain. As horrible as it may sound at times - you cannot help but say thank you and sigh with relief because you learn to recognize that Aslan really is on the move. The only thing I can and want to do for my son is to teach him the truth that God really is good and faithful and true. God is always working for our benefit and for His glory. If my son learns these things, then no matter what heartache he encounters in his life he can rest assured that God is always victorious and so we also are.

"And now," said Aslan presently, "to business. I feel I am going to roar. You had better put your fingers in your ears."



And I watch as the cold winter melts into spring
And I'll be remembering You
Oh and I'll smell the flowers and hear the birds sing
and I'll be remembering You, I'll be remembering You

The dark night, the hard fight
The long climb up the hill knowing the cost
The brave death, the last breathe
The silence whispering all hope was lost
The thunder, the wonder
A power that brings the dead back to life

What I Learned in Narnia, by Doug Wilson

If there were any book that I would encourage you to read about Narnia, this would be the one! What I Learned in Narnia, by Doug Wilson is as full of insights into the Chronicles of Narnia, as well as practical life applications as you could ever hope to discover. (Tall order? You bet. But I think Wilson delivers.)

I had previously purchased the audio version of this same title in which Wilson himself is "lecturing" to a group of school aged children on Narnia. The book, What I Learned in Narnia, is a cleaned up version of the transcript of his lectures. (If you are an audio learner, you might want to consider the lecture series which is available through Canon Press & Amazon both.) I actually began listening to the audio lectures before I started reading this book and made some notes from them which I plan on sharing with you next week. After I listened to the lecture series I read the book which, as I mentioned, is a cleaned up transcript, of sorts.

The book follows the same format as the lecture series. Under this title, Wilson explores the following themes which can be found in the Narnia books:

1. (Lessons on) Authority
2. Confession of Sin
3. Nobility
4. Spiritual Disciplines
5. Love of Story
6. Thorough Grace
7. Love for Aslan, Love for God

This book is, however, not meant to be touched until you've spent time in Narnia for yourself. Wilson writes in his introduction:

"I would like to introduce this small book by pleading with the reader to put it down immediately if he has not yet read the Narnia stories. This is the kind of book that would be best read after the reader is thoroughly acquainted with Puddleglum, and with Tirian, and with Digory, Lucy, Caspian, Trumpkin, and of course, Aslan. So this is not intended to be an introduction to Narnia at all, but is rather more like a conversation between good friends about some other good friends, talking about what a good time we all had and why. But in order to have that conversation, we have to have the good time first." (Introduction, page 11)

I do think Narnia is rich with symbolism and practical life applications for the Christian. (You'll see some of these ideas and notes when I post my thoughts from Wilson's lectures of the same title.) However, you'd be putting the cart before the horse if you try to figure out all what Lewis was getting at before you read about where he was taking you to. Love the stories first. Engage with them. Then go back, read them again, and learn more. As I've mentioned before, every time I re-enter the world of Narnia I learn something new. This year's Narnia Challenge is no exception. I find myself pulling more out of the stories than ever before - in part because I am sharing them with my kids.

I particularly like What I Learned in Narnia for the following reasons:

1. The applications that he draws from the stories and offers for our lives is very practical. I would have to say that his chapter on the confession of sin has been particularly meaningful this time around. Let's just say that a two year old and a four year old, learning about life and obedience, are given ample opportunity to learn how to confess correctly. As I've been regaling my children with examples from Narnia, I've been learning to confess quickly myself as well as how to keep short(er) accounts. If you think about it, most adults these days do a pretty stinky job at confessing sins and taking personal responsibility for their actions and words. Look around you. You'll find an example quick enough. (Hey! You might even BE the example!) Wilson highlights particular characters and their reactions to certain situations when discussing owning our actions and behaviors and confessing when we're (over)due for it.

2. I like this book because he originally gave it as a series of lectures to school aged children. However, he did not feel the need to dumb down his message for the younger audience. Instead of speaking in one syllable words and interrupting his thoughts with words like "cool, hip and dude" he speaks directly to human beings. (I just finished reading a devotional about Narnia that was written to teens which was so full of slang that I was completely put off.) Wilson could have "talked down" to his reader/listener but instead he assumes that the listener has a brain and knows how to use it. If nothing else, he inspires them to think deeper thoughts and seek understanding. I appreciate that.

Because I'm going to address different chapters in some future posts, I'll conclude here for now. I do heartily and enthusiastically recommend this book though if you are curious to draw more spiritual applications out of the world of Narnia. (Indeed, I should hope that you would want to do so!)

I'm very happy to tell you that Canon Press has offered TWO copies of What I Learned in Narnia to two readers here at Reading to Know. If you would like to be entered into the contest, simply leave a comment below. This contest is open to U.S. Residents only and will remain open through Thursday, July 28th.

THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED! THE WINNERS (as selected by Random.org) are: #20 - Laura Hartness and #5 - Shonya! Congrats!

Thank you, Canon Press, for shooting a copy of this book my way and for offering some additional copies up to two of my readers.

Narnia Figures :: Bringing the Stories More to Life

Last week I shared my experience in reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe aloud to my oldest son (in the hearing of my second born as well, I might add!) As I mentioned, I picked up a mini wardrobe at Goodwill and started collecting Safari Ltd. figurines to add to it. (Rather unfortunately it's hard to come by the Narnia figures themselves. I'd love a Mr. Tumnus or something!)

Part of my son's interest in Narnia is the mythological creatures. My son is an animal lover and these strange and magical beast are hugely attractive for him in mysterious way. He wants to know more about them and he likes playing with the Safari Ltd. figurines while I read. He wants to know everything about these beasts which he has never heard of before. They are new and exciting!

(As an aside, if you can point out a good picture book reference which would tell us more about mythological creatures, I am all ears!!!)

Safari Ltd. kindly sent us the following figurines to check out and add to our collection (some of which I hadn't seen in our local stores:)

This beautiful Safari Ltd. Pegasus makes me anxious to read The Magician's Nephew with my son. In the meantime, we've talked about the story a bit and think this creature is perfectly lovely.



Bookworm1 was particularly fascinated with the Safari Ltd Griffin after watching these mighty creatures help Peter fight the battle against the Witch Witch in the movie version of the story.



This ugly Safari Ltd. Cyclops definitely belongs in the White Witch's army. (I also wish we had a White Which figurine. Then this guy wouldn't have to stand alone. But he represents things fairly well for us. We suspect him of much.)



Back on the side of the Narnians, I purchased this Safari Ltd. Minotaur for our collection:



And I really believe that you cannot play Narnia unless you have a bold, courageous and magnificent Safari LTD Centaur:



(I purchased two Centaurs, actually. One was another company's version and I can say rather emphatically that Safari Ltd.'s Centaur is much more noble and striking. The other seems wimpy in comparison. Your Centaurs should never be wimpy. It's just not right!)

Adding these to our collection of other animals, we have a nice little Narnian army in the making! I only allow these items to come out when we're reading so as to keep them special and fun. I like them for several reasons:

1. They help bring the story to life;
2. They increase his curiosity about the stories;
3. They keep both boys quietly entertained while I'm reading aloud to them.

It spurs their imagination and draws them into the Wardrobe just a little bit more each time I pull them out. They are wonderful tools and I love them! (I have my eye on the Safari Ltd. beavers next. I purchased a "Mr. Beaver" for us this past week. How can you play Narnia without beavers?!?! The answer to that question is: you can't!)

Do you have particular ways in which you engage with these stories with your children? (You saw how Narnia-Girl utilized Legos to inspire children to enter the world of Narnia, right?) If so, please do share! I'm always up for a new idea. In the meantime, with animal figurines threatening to take over the top floor of our house, these mythological creatures fit right in to what I already know we love to do . . . PLAY!

Thank you, Safari Ltd. for sending a few of these figurines for our play and amusement. Thank you for this particular line of figurines as well - as I think they are most useful in engaging the imaginations of children.

Uncompromising, by Hannah Farver

"Imagine what it would look like for a person to be completely sold out to the Cause. Imagine her heart, soul, mind, and strength consumed with knowing Him. Imagine how much joy it must bring to Christ when the people He shed His blood for live their lives out of love for him." (Chapter 11, page 223)

If I had read Uncompromising as a teenager I would have fist pumped the air and danced around the room exalting in the fact that I was on the right track. (Yeah, a bit prideful.) This is one of those, "If I ever wrote a book it would look like this..." books for me. Which almost makes me a bit unqualified to talk about it, in my opinion, because I have a lot of love for it. I love it so much I'm sliding it onto my book shelf to keep and hand over to my daughter a decade or so from now - because this book will still be relevant and necessary even in ten years. It will be relevant until the end of time because young women everywhere will constantly be warring against their sin natures as they pursue their individual relationship with God. For as long as this internal struggle exists, there will be a need for women like Hannah Farver to stand up and encourage other women to pursue Christ whole-heartedly. That is the point of this book.

In Uncompromising: A Heart Claimed By a Radical Love, Farver discusses causes that get in the way of pursuing THE Cause of a Christian - following Christ in a whole-hearted fashion. She primarily focuses on two little 'c' causes that frequently cause females (in particular) to stumble: beauty and romance. Her discussion of these topics does come across as a bit "hip" in the sense that she uses a bit of sarcastic humor and dialogues with her reader a bit as she writes. That comes across as "friendly" writing and she acknowledges this to be the case, while also being quick to specifically point out that she is not trying to write in such a manner as to claim every reader as her best friend. She is a conversationalist who states that this book is pretty much a collection of Notes to Self in a sense. She has an approachable writing style for this time in history. I can't say that this style of writing will be good for all time, (regardless of the message), but it suits for now. She directs her remarks primarily to single Christian women.

The gist of her arguments are as follows:

* We should not submit or buy into the world's definition of beauty. Beauty, she argues, is individualized and is most apparent when a woman is acting and behaving in a manner that brings glory to God. This, Farver argues, (and I would agree), is the woman's express purpose.

"While we may never figure out . . . the reason for our hair type or height, we can be certain that God has a purpose for our appearance and not a single feature was a mistake. We are not valued because we win beauty contests but because God made us. Every freckle, hair, and mole was created by God for a reason - if only for His pleasure." (Chapter 7, page 46)

* God created both male and female for His glory. Both are image-bearers but they function differently. Without launching into what could be come a very long argument, she is basically a proponent of Biblical femininity.

* She encourages women to study theology. She argues that following after God means learning more about them. I liked what she said here:

"Once a girl told me that she didn't care about getting deep in theology because she was happy to "just love Jesus" - as if loving Jesus and learning about Him could possibly be separated. How can someone really love someone else unless they take the time to get to know that person? . . . When we refuse to care about theology, we're refusing to care about the nature of God." (Chapter 8, page 161)

* Farver also takes the time to talk about entering into a romantic relationship - the primary focus on the discussion centering around the importance of purity.

I personally thought all of her arguments reasonable and on target. I can think of a few people off the top of my head who would quibble with Farver's arguments about what romantic relationships should or could be. Let's just say that Farver is very conservative, but not strict or self-righteous in her approach. Probably the best way to describe her perspective (again, without making this post longer than necessary) is by saying, "She thinks as I do." (That will help a few of you out anyway.)

I appreciated her words of caution, wisdom, advice and humility as she approached a subject which she quickly admits she has not dealt with personally as yet. (However, I would argue on her behalf that her ideas and arguments are true and helpful having already played the "dating game" and now being married with children.)

In short (as I can make this!) - I really, really, really liked this book. I think it's a good message for young women of today and one that is worth being considered. It is this: to love and follow Christ above all. That's a hard thing to do. Every little bit of personal encouragement helps! Therefore I'm a fan of this book. It is much-needed encouragement and is therefore welcome to some space on my bookshelf.

I'm excited to say that the publisher, Moody Publishers, has offered up FIVE copies of Uncompromising to five of you! This is most generous. In order to win, all you need to do is leave a comment below. I'll give you an additional entry if you have a daughter of age to read this book RIGHT NOW. (Just leave two comments if you have a daughter between the ages of 11-19.) I'll do that this time because I think this book is particularly relevant NOW!

This contest will be open through Tuesday, July 26th and is open to U.S. Residents only.

THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED. THE WINNERS (as selected by Random.org) ARE AS FOLLOWS:

#19 - Jennifer @ Snapshot
#22 - Andrea G.
#1 - Melissa @ Breath of Life
#15 - Shoyna
#4 - Jennifer

Congrats, ladies!

Thank you, Moody Publishers, for sending a copy of this book my way and for offering to give away additional copies to some of my readers. I hope and pray that we make the most of this book's message.

Adults and Narnia

(I found I kind of needed this reminder for myself. I originally posted this in December 2008)

I've been reading Companion to Narnia: A Complete Guide to the Magical World of C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia this week as I'm reading through the Narnia series. It has been quite helpful in causing me to dig deeper into the symbolism that Lewis used. However, interestingly enough, even as this book picks apart Narnia and explains nit picky details and intricacies of plot of dialogue, Ford also urges people not to destroy the magic of Narnia by over analyzing it. Sometimes I don't think this book quite strikes the balance it is hoping to achieve. You really have to hold on to the magic while you pick it to pieces. It's a fine and difficult line to walk.

I gave a (very brief) review of this book explaining that it is an encyclopedia of sorts to the world of Narnia, defining characters, moments and places. One of the first two entries under "A" I found intriguing, especially as they are read back-to-back.

Ford addresses the issue of adults in Narnia and the way that Lewis almost always seemed to use the word "grown-up" as a synonym for "wrong thinking." (He cites Lucy identifying "grown-up" as the skepticism she sees in Susan's question, "Where do you think you saw Aslan?" (emphasis mine) A chief complaint in this book seems to be that adults have lost their imagination. I'm thinking of the Pevensie four being afraid to tell the Professor of their adventures in the wardrobe for fear of his disbelief. Grown-ups in Lewis' Chronicles are not always to be trusted to believe. And belief is what Narnia is all about.

Ford comments that there are few good grown-ups in the world of Narnia: Professor Kirke, King Caspian, Puddleglum, the High King Peter, Ramandu, the Hermit of Southern March, King Lune, Mabel Kirke, Letitia Ketterley, Mr & Mrs. Pevensie and Erlian. Ford also notes that of this list, three are really child characters. (Page 1 of the fourth edition copy of Companion.)

It is hard, as an adult reader, to swallow the fact that Lewis seemingly disrespects adults in his books. What do we, as adult readers who long to instill respect in our offspring do with this? Here we are, all lofty and "old" reading magical fairy tales to our kids. Do we read believing? Or with disbelief? I can say for myself that I did not read these books growing up (I only recently read them for the first time a few years back) but did read Anne of Green Gables and reveled in her imaginative world. Believing in the unseen and unrealistic is easy for me. (Just ask my husband. I'm a natural!) I believe in Narnia because I believe it's a picture of something more -- something that is very real. I'd like to think I fall into the "good adult" category in Lewis' mind.

Interestingly enough, the entry in Companion immediately following "Adult" is "Adventure" in which Ford says the following:

"In the Chronicles, adventure is a metaphor for life in its highest realization. There is no turning away from the adventure, for it is only in leaving the known for the unknown that honor may truly be found."

As an adult it is easy to be weighed down by the practicalities and responsibilities that life chalk full of. There's less time to read, less time to dream, less time to just be. Adventure is almost a threat to life! Life is full of diapers and studies, 9 to 5 jobs, promises and obligations. It is easy to get lost in the whirlwind of the "known" and lose anytime we might have to spend exploring the unknown. I think that is what Lewis is mourning, in a sense. Life that chokes out the ability to close your eyes and soar in the unknown. Time to relax. Time to get away. Time to walk in the open air and breathe and live.

It is easy as an adult to say there is no time for imagination or exploration. But I don't think it's something that we can afford to leave behind in our childhood. Imagination and belief in the wild and fantastic is what makes life. It is adventure that sparks hope and challenges you to laugh when your world would want to crumble. Escaping to Narnia - is it worth the time? I would have to say yes. If escaping to Narnia draws me closer to what Narnia and Aslan represents then it is worth the time, the energy, and the effort to get there. It's an easy and cheap vacation if you want to look at it that way.

I think Lewis is right in his belief that adults who have lost the time and ability to imagine and dream are dangerous people. Again, if we lose sight of Aslan and Narnia (i.e., what they represent) than we lose everything. As adults we have to work harder to feel like life is magical. But imagine having a Lucy heart your whole life - willing to believe in the unexpected and unexplainable?

That sounds so lighthearted it almost feels irresponsible, doesn't it?

Narnia Legos and Further Explorations into the Wardrobe

Guest post from Narnia-Girl who blogs at Lantern Waste. (Need I say more?!) I think she is oh so cool.

*****

In 2008 I took on the challenge of VBS director in a brand-new church. The newness gave me freedom from precedence: no expectations of doing things the same way as past directors, just convey the Gospel to children. I figured I could do no better than using beloved children's literature from a revered Christian apologist, and that is how I settled on sculpting a VBS from Narnia.

I found that there was Narnia curriculum available, but after purchasing two sets I was disappointed in the quality of the material. I set to work creating our own curriculum, using ideas from each of the purchased sets and adding my own inspiration. The end result was a VBS that told the story of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe over five nights. Each evening the children left our hot August environment and passed through the wardrobe into snowy Narnia. They heard a bit of the story, participated in object lessons and enjoyed crafts and games related to the theme. The evenings ended with a chat with "The Professor".

One popular part of our VBS was a Narnian Museum. This small room was filled with Narnian "artifacts" collected from all the stories. Each item was displayed and identified with a placard that described it and the book in which it was mentioned. For example, we had Reepicheep's sword (an ornate letter opener), Mr. Pevensie's war uniform (WWII uniform), Caspian's sword (real sword hung up high), Peter's shield (Halloween costume), the tea set from Father Christmas, Bree's saddle, Mrs. Beaver's cookbook, the steering wheel of the Dawn Treader and much more. The setting was additionally enhanced by playing 'Narnian' music and employing curators who were in character each evening.

At the time we were preparing for the museum, our son would spend hours a day playing with Lego bricks. In an effort to spend time with him and work on VBS plans, I began to create scenes from Narnia out of Legos. We had a wonderful time discussing concepts and trying to implement them. We also did some online research and found several ideas. While there were Chronicles of Narnia building sets available for purchase, they depicted the most famous scenes. We were striving for Lego dioramas from each book, plucking one little scene from the story and conveying it in miniature plastic bricks.

Each of our creations were displayed in a glass case and labeled with the scene and book.

We included:

• Puddleglum assisting Eustace and Jill up the giant, snowy steps and The Lady of the Green Kirtle with the mysterious Black Knight (The Silver Chair);
• The Pevensies finding the ruins of Cair Paravel and then discovering the old treasure room in Prince Caspian;
• Uncle Andrew's study, with the mysterious green and yellow rings, from The Magician's Nephew;
• an exotic (and cruel) stranger visiting a poor (and cruel) fisherman and the luxurious palace room where Shasta is placed when he's mistaken for a prince in The Horse and His Boy;
• the poor talking horses of Narnia being beaten into submission in The Last Battle; and several other scenes.

The Narnian scenes were a fun addition to our Museum and a big hit with the kids who talked of creating their own masterpieces at home. In our home I found this to be an excellent catalyst to get the kids back into the books, digging for ideas for their next creation.

****

Narnia-girl shared pictures of her Lego creations which I'm posting here for you to see. Wasn't she terribly creative?! I LOVE this! Totally LOVE it!

Uncle Andrew in his study with the rings


Polly and Digory on Fledge


Lucy enters The Wardrobe


Lucy meets Mr. Tumnus


Susan & Lucy with Aslan at the Stone Table


Dr. Cornelius helping Caspian to flee


Peter, Edmund, Susan & Lucy entering the Treasure Room


The Lady of the Green Kirtle with the mysterious Black Knight


Shasta in Tashbaan


Pretty creative, huh? I'm duly impressed.

Thank you, Narnia-girl, for sharing both your love for these stories and your creativity with us! I'm sure I'm not alone in feeling very inspired by your work and efforts! I want to attend your VBS and walk through the museum! Sigh.

Narnia Readers

I've talked about these readers a little bit in the past. (I picked up the Voyage of the Dawn Treader readers the moment I saw them in the bookstore!) I like them for younger readers (even though they are based on the movies, and not the books) because they are helpful in introducing the littles to these magnificent stories.

In saying that, I think the original stories can be shared fairly early on in life, but the mythological creatures can be a bit perturbing and questionable to children ages under the age of 4 (at least, that's how it is in our house!) While I am longing to share both the books and the movies with my children, they are a bit young yet for full exposure to the series. (We did, however, read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe together and loved it!) The readers help to familiarize them with what's to come and so I'm generally in favor of them.

As such, I always keep my eyes open for used copies (seeing that I didn't catch on to the idea of purchasing the readers when the first two movies came out!) and have a little collection for ourselves. I found some duplicates though that I would like to pass along to some of my Narnia friends.

Would you like to win a copy of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe: Welcome to Narnia (I Can Read Book, Level 2) and Prince Caspian: This Is Narnia (I Can Read Book 2)? Simply leave a comment below!

This contest is open to U.S. Residents only and will be open through Thursday, July 21st.

Further up and Further In! Inch by inch as the case may be!

THE WINNERS OF ROAR (as selected by random.org) ARE AS FOLLOWS: #5 - Jennifer Jennifer did not respond to my e-mail so a new winner was selected in her place. #1 - Annette W. #17 - bekahcubed


THE ABOVE CONTEST IS ALSO NOW CLOSED. THE WINNER OF THE NARNIA READERS (as selected by random.org) IS: #4 - WMMAHANEY Congrats!

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - Read Aloud Thursday

I was very excited to be able to share the full and complete story with Bookworm1 this year. At age 4 1/2 he seemed ready to be able to understand and thrill in the story I love so much: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. We've spend plenty of time with Narnia picture books and we've watched video clips of the movies (the parts without any curiously disturbing mythological creatures) and we'd even made it a few chapters into the real book a time or two. This year I thought he could handle the story in its entirety and so we read it. And we loved it. Both of us.

Bookworm1 was familiar with the characters and general storyline already so this wasn't terribly new to him or disturbing. Instead it was fun. Particularly because I have been collecting Narnia read-along toys and he was allowed to play with these things while we read the story:



* I found this doll's wardrobe at Goodwill and thought it was PERFECT for Narnia play! Lucy and the Stone Table were gifted to us (by my brother) and the other figures are Safari Ltd. items.

I confess that I am completely unable to read the Narnia series without reading stuff into it. I walk away from each adventure with practical life applications and this read through was no exception to me. I did discover that it is a lot harder to read the books outloud because I find them so deeply meaningful and impacting that I spent the later half of the book trying not to sob my eyeballs out while reading to him. He kept glancing over at me while I was reading about Aslan coming back to life and playing with Susan and Lucy.

I read the following passage which seemed to have the greatest impact on both of us and I'll explain why in a minute.

"Oh, children," said the Lion, "I feel my strength coming back to me. Oh, children, catch me if you can!" He stood for a second, his eyes very bright, his limbs quivering, lashing himself with his tail. Then he made a leap high over their heads and landed on the other side of the Table. Laughing, though she didn't know why, Lucy scrambled over it to reach him. Aslan leaped again. A mad chase began. Round and round the hill-top he led them, now hopelessly out of their reach, now letting them almost catch his tail, now diving between them, now tossing them in the air with his huge and beautifully velveted paws and catching them again, and now stopping unexpectedly so that all three of them rolled over together in a happy laughing heap of fur and arms and legs. It was such a romp as no one had ever had except in Narnia, and whether it was more like playing with a thunderstorm or playing with a kitten Lucy could never make up her mind. And the funny thing was that when all three finally lay together panting in the sun the girls no longer felt in the least tired or hungry or thirsty.
"And now," said Aslan presently, "to business. I feel I am going to roar. You had better put your fingers in your ears."
And they did. And Aslan stood up and when he opened his mouth to roar his face became so terrible that they did not dare look at it. And they saw all the trees in front of him bend before the blast of his roaring as grass bends in a meadow before the wind. (Chapter 15, Deeper Magic from Before the Dawn of Time)

*****

Bookworm1: "Mommy, what's wrong?"
Mommy: *sniffling* "This is my favorite part."

O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting!? (1 Corinthians 15:55)

****

A little while later I was in the other room with the baby when I heard a great deal of roaring going on in the living room. I walked into the room with the boys to discover Bookworm1 holding on to the lion figurine, with Lucy on top, roaring and running around the room. My heart warmed.

I love seeing Bookworm1 engaging with powerful stories. He has reached the age where he does mimic certain of his favorite movies or his favorite books and so I've begun to realize the great importance of filling his mind with good and noble adventures that will stir both his heart and his passions towards Christ. He is making memories and acting out what is being placed inside of him and I hope that a love for Narnia and story grows in his heart. It is such a pleasure to share Narnia with him and I hope he remembers these first moments inside this magical land.

"And that is the very end of the adventures of the wardrobe. But if the Professor was right it was only the beginning of the adventures of Narnia." (Chapter 17, The Hunting of the White Stag)

The story ended with a huge smile on his face and mine.